Scarlet Diamonds
by thesirensong
Summary: Prince Jayden does not want to marry. Ever. He'd rather read than rule a country. But the people are becoming restless, angrier than ever. Attacks are at their highest, burning cities and mass murders. Now, 35 girls have been chosen at a chance to be queen, but when they find out life as a royal isn't all diamonds, who will remain and step up to be the woman Illéa needs? (SYOC)
1. ρяσℓσυgє

_Crown Prince Jayden Schreave, 18, the palace at Angeles._

35 girls. One royal prince. One chance at being queen. It was somewhat funny, to be honest. At least, that's what the prince thought; the whole idea of a "random" girl picked to become royalty, or at least somewhat close, was laugh-out-loud hilarious. He supposed the 35 girls he was going to collectively date wouldn't think it was quite so humorous, but Jayden accepted the fact that he was becoming hysteric. He took a few calming deep breaths, imagining a bottle. He then imagined putting all the crazy inside the bottle - for now. He then tried desperately to focus on something important, like memorizing his up-coming speech for the Report, but his mind just kept wandering to other things. Namely, the Selection at hand.

If there was one thing Jayden was certain of, it was that he was terrified. He hadn't wanted to have get married in the first place, much less have a _Selection_! He wasn't even sure he liked girls. Boys, girls, he didn't care for either. Of course he loved his family, no matter how annoying they were, but in terms of romance, he was clueless. He'd never even kissed, much less dated or fallen in love. He preferred books over people and spent most of his time locked up in his personal library with a cup of coffee or tea and his pet cat, Jasper.

But his father had forced him into this, and hell if he didn't at least pretend to enjoy it. He adjusted his gray suit and stepped onto the scene of the report, wiping sweat off his face. His family was waiting in the background of the stage, where he would join them once he was done giving a speech and talking briefly to the announcer, Emery. Lights glared, uncomfortably bright, into his eyes as he straightened his icy blue tie. The plush chair he sat on was somehow uncomfortable. Emery was already in her seat, quickly dusting makeup over her face. A cameraman held up three fingers. Two. One. Jay stood.

"Hello, Illea. Thank you for joining us today"- ugh, why did he say that, this was mandatory viewing, they _had_ to be here -"as we have a very important announcement for you. As you all know, I am in line to be king of Illea. I've been thinking this over for some time"- absolute bullcrap, he'd known for about two days-"and I've decided that I simply cannot manage Illea on my own. I need someone to rule by my side, someone who loves me, and someone I love. Someone to trust and care for.

"I think you all know what I'm talking about. If, in fact, your guess was that I will be hosting a Selection, you were right. All eligible women between the ages of 16 and 19 will have a chance to become my wife and queen of Illea!"

A smattering of applause shook the stage. Jay sat back down, a wide - and fake - smile stretched wide across his pale cheeks. Emery said a few words to the audience, calming them back down with a few rules and benefits for the Selection.

"Prince Jayden?"

Jay started, quickly remembering that he was still on live TV. He blushed and cleared his throat.

"What was that, Emery?" Jayden asked. "Sorry. Preparing to date 35 woman all at once can be stressful." He shook his mistake off with a laugh, and it slid past Emery like water off a duck's back.

"Oh, don't apologize!" Scolded the middle-aged woman. "I'm positive I would have a heart attack if I had to date 35 men!

"But, away from my health. What kind of a girl are you looking for? Spunky? Kind? Smart?"

Jay laughed again. "To be honest, your guess is as good as mine."

"You gotta have at least _some _idea," Emery said fervently.

"Sorry to let you down, Em," he said, using the nickname he had had for her since he was a baby, "but I really don't know. A woman who loves me and Illea is all I could ever ask for."

Emery heaved a dramatic- albeit probably fake- sigh and pouted. The exaggerated face looked odd on a 52 year-old woman. Jay heard a handful of snickers from around the room, half tempted to join them, half tempted to defend her. She was only doing her job, after all. But he remained quite and waited for the room to quiet down so he could say something redeeming himself.

"Well, I guess I'll just know when I see her," Jay said smoothly, looking back towards his father and asking with his eyes if his time on screen was over. King Oscare nodded his assent. The king stood, holding out his arm to his wife, Queen Alicey, switching places with their eldest son. Conversation soon switched over to reminiscing over Oscare's own Selection, while Jayden happily faded into the background and began a game of cards with his sister, Lilliana. Willow rolled her eyes and scoffed as Lily's red hair became more disheveled every moment it was exposed to the humidity of the Report's stage. Jay ignored Willow's comments about how ugly Lily's hair and dress were and simply did not care about the ones aimed to him. Over the years, he had learned the careful art of not caring. Not caring about his father's harsh punishments, not caring about Alicey's worried manners, and not caring about Willow's snide remarks. He did care, of course, but mainly with Lily and little baby Tyson. He let himself wonder, just for a moment, what it would be like to care about a girl that wasn't his little sister.

* * *

мєєт тнє яσуαℓ fαмιℓу:

King Oscare, 45. Oscare rules his country with a firm hand, but the people only see his best side. His worst side is cunning and cruel, while his best side is kind, brave, and strong. He is the son of Alexander II, who was Queen Kriss' and her husband, King Alexander. Faceclaim: Brad Pitt

Queen Alicey, 40. Alicey is the picture perfect queen, a demure and pretty woman, content to sit in the sidelines and be elegant. She never argues with her husband. She was formerly a Two. {Alicey is currently four months pregnant. They do not know the gender yet, but they hope it is twins; one girl, one boy.} Faceclaim: Jennifer Morrison

Princess Willow, 20. Willow is the spitting image of her mother, with blonde ringlets, pink cheeks, and crystal eyes. She is a paper doll with hardly any personality. She's engaged to Prince Louis of France. Faceclaim: Elle Fanning.

Prince Jaydan, 18. Jayden is quiet and reserved to the public, but yearns for freedom and liberty. He is a very passionate person, but has never fallen in love and has never paid much attention to either gender, instead burying himself in books, music, and work. He has curly black hair. Faceclaim: Finn Wolfhard.

Princess Lilliana (Lily), 12. Lily is the polar opposite of her mother and older sister, with red hair and brown eyes and a fiery personality. She (secretly) looks up to Lady America Singer. She's a bookworm like her brother, and asexual, but she's awkward around anyone except Jay and her best friend, whose name is also Lillie. Faceclaim: Francesca Capaldi.

Prince Tyson, 3. Tyson is too young to have shown much personality, but he's almost identical to his father, with the same scruffy red-brown hair, though he has his mother's blue eyes. He's the palace darling. (no faceclaim)

* * *

_the kingdom's backstory:_

_Two years after Prince Maxon was born, Queen Amberly gave birth to Prince Alexander. King Clarkson killed America and Maxon, disguising their murderers as the rebels' doing, and married Lady Kriss to his obedient son, Alexander. They were the perfect couple and soon fell in love and gave birth to Alexander II and his little sister, Alexandrina, now Princess of Germany. _

* * *

**hey ya'll! i decided to re-write the first chapter, partially because the original was super rushed, but mainly because I just got a new computer and was really excited to try it out, haha! Leave a review and tell me what you think! submission form is on my profile, so go ahead and check that out if you want! **

**until next time,**

**sirena.**


	2. emmaline and catriona

_Prince Jayden Schreave, 18, the gardens at Angeles. (five days before the Selected girls are announced.)_

The stack of papers was, to say the least, daunting. Each girl's submission was two or three pages long, front and back. Now times that by 35, and you'd understand quite how scared Jay was. He sucked in a deep breath and picked up the first form. Emmaline Anchor of Atlin, 18 years old. She was far from ugly, but he couldn't decide if she was gorgeous or plain. He was surprised she had actually made it into the Selection, as her record showed many small offenses, the largest apperantly being that she had seduced a drunk police officer into freeing her. He figured that wasn't exactly the truth; the police had been the one to tell the story, not her, but he figured he could always inquire when she arrived at the palace.

The second was a ravenette with stunning blue eyes and pale skin. Her name was Olivia, which somewhat surprised Jay, because he usually assumed that girls with the name 'Olivia' would have brown hair. He didn't know why exactly he thought that; maybe it was because all the Olivias he had met (which was very few, but enough to give base to his theory) had brown hair and caramel streaks. This Olivia looked different than the other Olivias, but she was boring. She spoke English, worked as a teacher, and enjoyed gardening. He sighed as he reached for the third application. He was already getting tired. And he had 33 more to go. Absolutely wonderful.

Next came Catriona Elion, a Three from Tammins. She stood out among the papers for one thing- her hair was pink. Well, the bottoms of her hair were pink and the top was a light brownish color, but she still stood out to him. He'd never seen a contestant with dyed hair _before_ she came to the palace. Most girls got highlights or a color shift during the makeovers; never before had he seen actually dyed hair, like bright colors, and not just the streaks of platinum Willow put in her hair. He liked it on Catriona, though. She was pretty, and, by the looks of it, very smart. He put her in a different pile than Olivia and Emmaline, deciding he'd look over her entry again later today. She would be fun to have around the palace.

* * *

_emmaline anchor, 18, atlin, a five. (nine days before the entire Selection is announced)_

Emmaline was bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored. She hated going to fancy parties and watching the Twos giggle and drink champagne and eat delicases while Emmaline sang sweetly in the background and recieved meager thanks for the hours of work she'd done. On this particular day, she was completely and utterly fed up. She'd been performing for 4 hours now. 4 hours! Plus, she was hungry. She had figured that they- the rich couple and their daughters- wouldn't mind if she snagged one tiny macaron. Well, they certainly did mind, and that was exactly why she was currently sitting behind bars while the couple screamed obscenities at her and the poor shmuck guarding her cell. All for one cookie she'd barely nibbled at. Erica was going to be _furious._ This was the second time Emmaline had ended up behind bars _this month_. She was seriously considering picking the lock and running for it while the guard was busy escorting the screeching couple away; there was no way in _hell _that Erica would come to bail her out again. Threes only had so much money, she supposed, and plus, Erica could hold a grudge like nobody's business. Emmaline drug her hand down her face for the fifth time in three minutes. The guard had returned to his post and was staring at Emmaline in a way that made her skin prickle.

"Whatcha do to 'em, eh?"

Emmaline looked up. "I ate a cookie at their daughters' birthday party, that's what, and now I'm stuck in this hellhole because I'm a screwing Five!"

The guard rolled his eyes. "Twos, am I right?"

Emmaline snorted. "Yeah. Now screw off."

He _tutt_ed his tongue. "See, I was thinking I could help you out. A favor for a favor, eh? But if you're bein' so rude..." he trailed off, raising one eyebrow. Emmaline was quiet for a moment. "A favor?"

He nodded. "A favor," he repeated, standing up and approaching her until his face was level with hers, his breath hot on her cheeks. " You see, me an' my boys...we don't get much women round here, know what I mean?" Emmaline's heart was beating fast in her chest, all her instincts begging for her to run, but she planted her feet and stood her ground. If he could just let her out for one moment, she could run fast enough...

"I get where you're going," she said, attempting to be seductive despite the fact that her tongue was glue in her was terrified. She'd heard way too many stories about girls getting raped in prison. She saw his pupils dialate and prayed desperately that she was strong enough, that she was fast enough, because, oh, God, what had she gotten herself into? He licked his lips, causing Emmaline to cringe, ever so slightly. He fumbled with his keys eagerly, unlocking her cell and grabbing her by the waist. Emmaline's thoughts were but a string of curses, she was trapped now, and the only way to escape was to play along. She slung her arms around his neck and nuzzled his neck, kissing his flabby skin as she threw up inside her mouth. He moaned and pawed at Emmaline's curvy waist. She moved her mouth higher, to his lips, and felt his grip on her softening. _Almost there_, she thought. She was so scared. She was desperate that someone would help her; she'd even settle for those Twos. But no such help came and the guard showed no signs of stopping. He sucked on her lip, sticking his tongue down her throat with no hestitation, while she toyed carefully with his belt. He slung her down on the desk, pulling off her shoes and deepening their kiss. She tugged harder on his belt, hoping it would be enough to loosen his grip completely, but he only began to undo her bra straps. Emmaline took a careful breath and pushed the guard back a little, edging them ever-so-closer to the doorway. His eyes were burning with lust. She pushed him backwards onto a chair and he only tightened his grip. She straddled him, his face aligned with her collarbone, as she undid her braid. _Maybe, just maybe, she could tie his hands together._ While he was busy with unbuttoning her teal dress, she moaned loudly, leaning forward farther and grabbing his hands. She tried to slip her hairband onto his wrists, but he snapped it easily and became fiercer with her, more ruthless. Emmaline was crying now, all pretenses gone. She wasn't trying to get free now, she just wanted him to _stop._ He flipped them over, onto the ground, his weight crushing Emmaline as his hands slid up her thighs. She shivered. His hands crawled farther up and he weakened his grip just enough for Emmaline to stretch out and grab her heels, under the guise of exposing her breast. She grabbed the silver stiletto and slammed it down on his groin with a vengeance. She hit him again and again and _again. _She pummeled his face with her fists while he screamed in pain and curled over, whimpering helplessly on the floor as Emmaline stood up, burst through the doors, and _ran._ Her makeup was smeared, her hair wild, and her dress was torn, which earned her many strange looks, but she ran faster and faster, only putting on speed with time. She slammed the door of her apartment closed, leaning against the door, finally safe. Her time in prison had felt like forever-that man was the most disgusting person she'd ever seen- when, in reality, it had barely been an hour.

And then the storm hit. Erica came storming into the foyer screaming about "Seriously, Em? What the hell did you do this time, you're almost and hour late! An _hour,_ Em!"

Emmaline only shook her head and mumbled a feeble "sorry." Then Erica noticed the state she was in.

"Emmaline Mary Anchor, what happened to you?"

Em was barely able to tell her best friend a few sentences before she broke down in tears.

…

_emmaline anchor, 18, atlin, a five. (two days before the deadline for submissions to enter the Selection.)_

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Emmaline had barely escaped being raped in prison. She hadn't left the house in two weeks. Erica was helping, of course, by working extra houra to pay for both of their needs. Every night she arrived home, it was with a new treat. Maybe a cupcake or ice cream. A stuffed animal. Some sunflowers- Emmaline's favorite. But Emmaline was still suffering from the terror that had fueled her that evening. She tried to convince Erica that she couldn't go outside anyway; she was probably a wanted criminal or something. Erica calmly replied that,"No, babe, you aren't a wanted criminal, and no one would know about your escape, because the man would have had to confess that he tried to rape you. It's more likely that he just reported some edited version of the story where you're the villain and he's innocent, so get your arse off the ground cause we gonna take you to the Tammins Services and sign you up for the Selection."

"No!" Emmaline protested.

"Yes," Erica argued, dragging Emmaline by the foot to the dining room table (really just a coffee table in the living room) and shoved a handful of papers into her arms. Emmaline scowled, but begrudgingly sat up and picked up a pencil, grumbling as Erica reminded her that if she didn't fill out that form, she wouldn't get any apple pie. And, by all means, Emmaline was going to get that pie if it was the last thing she ever did.

_Name: _Emmaline Mary Anchor

_Caste_: Five

_Age: _18

_Birthday: _June 5th

_Skin tone:_ light tan

_Eye color:_ blue

_Hair color: _dirty blonde

_Hair type:_ wavy

It took Emmaline over an hour to complete, and then another hour until Erica deemed her suitable enough to have her picture taken. And _then _two more hours until her picture was finally taken. But it was all worth it when she saw her face flash across the screen. She wasn't some background Five anymore. She was a Three, and, if she tried hard enough, a One. And when you were a One? You had power. Emmaline would certainly need some power if she was going to do what she had planned out.

* * *

_Catriona elion, 19, Tammins, a three (the night of the announcement of the Selected girls)_

Catriona had lost track of exactly how much time she'd spent at the school. A few hours with the science class, a few hours with the math class. Time really flew by quickly when you were having fun- in Catriona's case, teaching and learning, or really anything along those lines. She had, many times, lost herself to a project she'd been working on. Then someone, usually Adelia or Grandma Inessa, would tell her that she needed to take a break. Grandma Inessa would always be the kindest, gently rubbing her back and handing her a bowl of noodles and a drink. But no one had been with her at the school to remind her to eat, so it was almost dinner-time and she was _starving. _She hadn't had anything to eat today besides a bowl of cereal about twelve hours ago. That, and an apple seven hours ago. Also, it was freezing. Today was not turning out so well.

Cat pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders, for once wishing she had gone less artsy and grabbed a bigger jacket. But, alas, she had been in a hurry. The thing was, she was _always_ in a hurry. It actually wasn't uncommon for this to happen. In fact, she could clearly recall Jasmine calling her nine times before Catriona was un-busy enough to answer, and all Jasmine had meekly was, "You forgot your jacket, Cat. Again. You're going to freeze to death! I don't want a block of ice as my girlfriend; I can't snuggle with _ice_!"

At the memory, Catriona already felt warmer. She smiled fondly, remembering the years she and Jasmine had spent together. Then the smile faded off her lips. Not because of their breakup, no, they had both confirmed that they were over each other and had no hard feelings over the breakup, but because they _had _had a recent fight. About the Selection. Catriona had entered, thinking that she could at least try to become queen. Of course, there was no guarantee that she'd be picked, but if she had even just a sliver of hope that she could change Illea for the better, she'd reach out on her tipee-toes and grab it firmly. She was just like that. Not afraid to speak out about what she wanted. She'd rant about tens of hundreds of things for hours- but there was one thing she never told anyone about. She wanted the caste system gone. She had written an entire novella about it, but, of course, she kept it hidden away in her room. She's not even sure where it is now. She probably could find it if she wanted to. She could do anything she put her mind to. That was her motto. She considered that, if she ever was Selected (she knew it was pretty much impossible, but that had never stopped her) she might be able to bring the papers with her and do something, anything, to change Illea. But she figured she would rather that she and her family stayed alive. _Maybe one day. Maybe..._

Cat shook away the rebellious thoughts with a toss of her brown and pink locks and, still shivering, checked her watch. Crap. It was 7:45, 15 minutes before the Report began, and she was over 30 minutes away from home. _If I want to be queen, I should probably at least watch the Report that might change my life!_ Catriona cursed again.

_Well, _she thought grimly, _time to put all the exercise and training to use. _ She took off like a shot, rushing past confused citizens while she mentally congratulated herself on her speed. She had no idea she could run like this. Maybe it was time to change her career... but no. She'd spent far too long studying, and it was one of the only things that could hold her attention for long periods of time.

When she finally reached home, it was 7:59. She burst through the door, panting, just as the seal of Illea appeared on screen. Grandma Theodora made a disapproving noise in the back of her throat, but Catriona ignored her and plopped down onto the floor next to Desmond, her favorite ( and only) little brother. Jayden was just now appearing on screen, and announcing Angeles, so Catriona was glad hadn't missed Tammins. She worried like that sometimes. Just useless fretting. She hated it, but she couldn't do much about it, instead turning her focus back to the television just as she appeared on screen.

In the chaotic moments that followed, she was pretty sure Adelia (her -somewhat- annoying older sister) fainted. Of course, she couldn't really know, because the family had all shrieked so loud- well, that was mainly Desmond- that she almost blacked out. She was immediately after incased in a hug which included her entire family, with the exeption of Grandma Inessa and Grandma Theodora. Inessa was too old, afraid of being crushed by seven people, and simply hugged and congratulated her after everyone had calmed down. Honestly, Catriona was surprised that her family was so excited. They had all discouraged her from entering, saying it was too dangerous in the city and that she'd have a target on her back. Only Grandma Inessa had told her too follow her heart. Grandma Theodora stood by her discouragements, not even hugging her or glancing in Cat's directions. That was fine; they had never gotten along. And Cat would _not _let her grumpy grandmother ruin this moment.

* * *

**A/N: thank you all so much for reading! In this chapter, we're introduced to Emmaline Anchor and Catriona Elion! {special thanks to LightFlair for creating the innovative and intresting Cat! let me know what you think of her ;)} **

**So, there's two things you may have noticed during this chapter. the first being that Olivia didn't get a section. That's because I made Olivia as one of the side characters in here. I don't want to have to pick which one of your beautiful girls to favor and another to throw away, so I simply made the characters who won't be featured. Secondly, the times and characters are completely random. I'll just pick two or three characters to write about, and then, once the chapter is more fully formed, I'll add the dates. These dates are all random. I just kinda write what I think best showcases these girls. the faceclaims are: Finn Wolfhard as Prince Jayden Schreave, Natalie Dormer as Emmaline Anchor, and Lily-Rose Depp as Catriona Elion! **

**if there's any grammatical mistakes, please let me know! I proofread this about 7 times, lol. Constructive criticism is always great! and go ahead and leave a review if you like this, too! **

**see you soon,**

**sirena ! **

**{ps. you can check out my pinterest board if you want, too! my name is the same there as it is here, so it should be easy to find.} **


	3. Badish news

**So, hello, this is Siren here. I know I haven't updated in so long-I hadn't even realized that it'd been that long! Things are super stressful, what with the COVID and also with writing my book. **

**Which is why I'm writing this. **

**My manuscript is done. Ready to be sent off. Which I'm very proud of, but I'm also incredibly sad, because that means I'll have to leave . **

**I'm so, so sorry guys. I wish I could've stayed and continued writing on here, but I have a much bigger project to work on. I'll always appreciate and love the community on here, and I wanted to thank you guys for being my inspiration and the first community I was ever a part of. **


	4. lina and dane (unfinished)

_Prince Jayden Schreave, 18, the library at Angeles ( four days before the Selected girls are announced.)_

29 more to go. 28. 27. Half of these girls were literally identical. The 'norm' seemed to be a Three with blonde hair and blue eyes who loved to teach young children. Was there some sort of machine that spat out carbon-copied girls? Because Jay was convinced that these girls were the same person. He shook his head and sighed. Who knew that flipping through pages could be so stressful?

By the time he reached 25, he wasn't even looking in order anymore. He spread the forms around him in a circle of (mostly blonde) girls. He made up his mind to close his eyes and grab two girls, then open his eyes and grab the most interesting girl he could see without reading their applications.

Mary-Ella Tulle was the first. She was a Four who worked in a dress factory. Her hair was a glossy yellow, but her skin was a dark brown, and the two colors clashed like the sun and the moon. Her family was ginormous, to say the least. Five aunts, seven uncles, about four children each, _plus _her brothers and sisters. If Jayden removed the age and gender limits...well, their family would be big enough to have all entered and all been drawn as the contestants. Actually, he was pretty sure they had more than 35 people in the family. Jay shuddered to think that if she won, her entire family would come live with them in the palace. He put her next to Olivia.

The next girl, however, made it into Catriona's pile. Her name was Lina Hathale. She was a Seven from Zuni, and, she was mainly interesting because she was in a wheelchair. She had been a personal trainer hoping to become an Olympic athlete, but, sadly, she had gotten into a car accident the night that her trainer was going to pick which student would become a star. The scholarship had instead gone to Jesley Sont.

The next girl was about as different from Lina as could be. She was named Lunaria Dane Stellra (though her form very forcefully informed Jayden that her name was DANE, not Lunaria.) She had skin that was darker then Lina's, more of a chocolate milk than a tan, and hair that was shorter and frizzier, as well as a hazelly brown as compared to Lina's silky straight black hair. And she was also put into Catriona's pile, because she was a police officer (and because Jay thought she was gorgeous, but mainly because she was a police officer.)

* * *

_lina hathale, 19, zuni, a seven (one week after the selection is announced)_

Lina stared up at the dull popcorn ceiling. Her neck ached. Her long, dark hair was in a braid that rested on her sweaty neck. Who knew that a waiting room could be so hot? Lina thought that it was supposed to be air conditioned. That might have been at least _some _comfort. Or, even better, if she didn't have to sit in the waiting room for three-and-a-half hours. This was the _emergency _room, not the I-can-wait-for-a-few-hours-to-get-help-room. The back of her wheelchair dug into her shoulder blades. She kinda wished that she had brought a pillow or something.

"Miss Hathale? The doctor is ready for you."

Lina looked up. "Okay," she said, "I'll be there in a sec." She pushed the wheels of the chair forward carefully, her arms somewhat stiff from sitting in the waiting room and doing nothing for so long. The automatic doors slid open as Lina approached, slowly but surely. The nurse who had called for Lina was waiting impatiently for her at the end of the hallway, clipboard in hand, tapping her foot against the white linoleum floors. The linoleum reflected the bright lights above.

"The doctor is in room 114. Please follow me," said the nurse. Lina nodded and quietly followed. Her wheelchair squeaked softly.

"Here we are." The nurse gestured to a light brown door. "Dr. Safarae will be with you soon."

The nurse kindly opened the door for Lina, who smiled and wheeled herself inside. The doctor's office was as most doctor's were: too-bright lights, mint walls, pictures of legs and arms and hearts scattered around the wall. There was a chair in the corner for any family visitors, but Lina was alone, this time. She checked her plain silver watch. Hopefully, the doctor would arrive soon.

Ten minutes later the doctor arrived. He was tall and middle-aged, with streaks of white in his gray hair. His faced was etched in deep stress lines, but his eyes were bright.

"So, Miss Hathale," he began, "you're here because of your legs, correct?"

Lina nodded.

"You were in a car accident...how long ago?"

"Four months," Lina said quietly.

"And you haven't got treatment since?"

" Yes. "

"And," the doctor said, jotting a few things down on his clipboard, "today you're here for looking at treatment plans?"

"Yes," Lina replied. "I want to walk again."

The doctor looked at her, sympathy written across his face, but Lina didn't want his sympathy. She'd learned things with her time in the wheelchair —she never imagined how hard life could be without the use of her legs. It had taught her how to be more compassionate; more kind.

"Well." The doctor pursed his lips. Lina didn't like that look; it meant that something was wrong. "There are two different options. The first is that you could wait a while longer and just see if your ability to walk comes back."

He paused.

"The other is highly more effective."

"The highly more effective one." Lina didn't need to ponder. She wanted her legs back. But there was only one other thing... "How much does it cost?" she asked tentatively.

Lina just barely refrained from wincing at the number.

"I'll have to thinks about it..., " Lina said, outright lying. She couldn't think about it. The answer was no. The Hathales could never in a million years pay that price. Lina smiled, but her eyes were already starting to water. She'd hoped for a moment-hoped that a miracle could happen in the room. But it didn't. Miracles weren't very common around here.

With a heavy heart, Lina thanked the doctor and wheeled herself back into the hallway. The sun was bright outside and Lina couldn't help but think that the sky should be somber; not happy like this. But that was being selfish. Lina wouldn't want that for other people.

...

_lina hathale, 19, a seven, zuni. (a week before the deadline to enter the Selection) {aka, later that day} _

Lina sat at the table in the middle of the table in the middle of the Hathale's dining room. The paper lying in front of her was stunningly white, with bold black lettering. Lina took a deep breath, jitters in her stomach, and placed the tip of her lead pencil to the paper. Of course Lina would enter in the Selection; she had planned to for almost her entire life to sign up. It was her duty as a daughter of Illea. But now, now Lina really hoped that she would get picked. Not necessarily for the prince (he was nice enough, Lina thought, and pretty attractive, too,) but for the compensation she'd receive. If she was Selected, and if she managed to stay for a few weeks, she'd have just enough money to go through with the surgery. There was no hesitation anywhere in Lina as she scribbled down her name.

* * *

_dane stellra, 19, a two, dominica (one week before the selection)_

Dane was absolutely fed up with the world. Currently, the crime rate in Dominica was _up_. Significantly. By noon, Dane had dealt with at least five cases. One death threat, one almost-kidnapping, one robbery, and two arsonists. Dane drained her third cup of coffee and sighed. She wasn't even dealing with the worst stuff; she was still techinically a Police Officer in training. Even if she was just as skilled as the professionals. (She could usually get away with handling major jobs, and everyone at her station treated her like anyone else, but today was an especially rough day, and the Head Officer demanded that she only take the lesser cases. But the lesser cases weren't actually that 'lesser.')

* * *

**This was about how far I'd gotten with the next chapter before I had to leave. It's short, and not very good, but I hope you enjoy my last chapter on here. **


End file.
